
2024 · Dice
Inventors of the South Tigris
Play as a scholar-inventor in 9th-century Baghdad, designing and refining mechanical devices to gain prestige. Take actions to invent new devices, recruit and train craftspeople, develop workshops, and research technologies. Build and test prototypes, then publish successful designs to earn Victory Points. Manage resources and influence three scientific guilds while balancing short-term experiments with long-term development to maximize scoring at the end of the game.
- Players
- 1–4 best 3
- Playing time
- 90–120 min
- Age
- 12+
- Complexity
- 4.5 / 5
About the game
Expansions
See them in LudoyaWhere to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 74
- Plays logged
- 35
- Players
- 2h 22m
- Average play
- 24
- In collections
- 13
- On wishlists
- 1
- Pre-ordered
8.9/10
from 7 Ludoya reviews
Алексей Любавин10.0 Last played: 2025-04
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Do Exhausted dice count as available when I place dice on camels?
No — only dice in Ready, Determined, or Inspired are considered “available” for placing on Camels; Exhausted dice are not usable (see page 14) and the die-state definitions are explained on page 8 (Ready/Determined/Inspired vs Exhausted).
When I Test a device, do I always have to place the white die from the supply first?
Yes — the Test action begins by placing 1 White Die from the Main Supply onto a Camel (its value doesn't matter), and this must be done first (page 17).
When I pay a Craftsperson, what happens to them and their Tower Tile?
When you pay a Craftsperson you pay the Silver printed on their current Tower Tile, immediately turn that Craftsperson facedown (Inactive) and then raise them up one Tower level if possible; progressing Tower Tiles is resolved when the lowest tile has no Craftspeople (page 9).
If I gain a Die to my Study, does it enter at a high level or trigger any immediate removals?
Any Die gained to the Study is placed on the bottom Study space for that colour (never higher) and placing a Die there immediately forces you to remove 1 Die (any eligible Die not on a Camel or in a Workshop) back to the supply (page 8).
Can I use a Craftsperson to save Silver, then refresh them and use them again for the same payment/task?
No — each Craftsperson can only be used once per task, so you cannot use them, refresh them mid-task, and use them again for that same task (page 22).
When I collect a Workshop Tile from the River, do I have to place it in the left-most column for free or can I pay to place it further right?
You must immediately place the Workshop Tile onto your Player Board into the left-most empty space of the chosen row for free; placing it into columns further right costs 1 Silver per column beyond the left-most incomplete column, and you resolve any covered effects immediately (page 10).
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Play Inventors of the South Tigris with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.




